Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are integrated devices or systems that combine electrical and microscopic mechanical components. MEMS devices are used as sensors and actuators in a vast array of products such as, for example, gyroscope systems, automobile airbag systems, inkjet printheads, accelerometers, bio-sensing systems, pressure systems, television displays, and fiber optic systems, among many others. Frequently in these areas of technology, the MEMS are utilized in a way that the balance within the MEMS is a function or purpose of the MEMS.
Often, however, these MEMS are unbalanced after fabrication. In this situation, a MEMS ceases to function for its intended purpose due to its unbalanced state. Tuning methods used to balance or rebalance an unbalanced MEMS may include removing material by chemical methods such as etching or physical methods such as carving or machining. These methods are often too imprecise and not practical in situations where the MEMS is fabricated at a sub-micron scale. Further, addition of material to the MEMS is not used because of the lack of efficient methods of depositing small mass increments on various portions of the MEMS.